South Fork Forest Camp inmates will plant 350,000 trees in the Tillamook Forest

“Most people have no idea that there’s a 200-bed prison work camp right in the middle of the Tillamook Forest,” says Nathan Seable. He’s the camp manager at South Fork Forest Camp, a minimum security facility that turns a pre-screened group of low-risk inmates into a productive work force.

Inmates, who can earn small wages based on an incentive system maintained by crew leaders, can apply to be assigned at South Fork but must have no history of escaping or arson crimes or arrests, and must possess good physical/mental health.

In May 2014, the Department of Corrections (DOC) launched an online hobby shop for the public to purchase a variety of inmate crafts, including leather works, paintings, and metal jewelry.

The 57 inmates assigned to the Oregon State Penitentiary (OSP) hobby shop are responsible for purchasing their own supplies, tools, and equipment, which in turn teaches them money management skills and financial accountably (inmates have to pay taxes on all items sold). These inmates are not paid to work in the shop; rather the online hobby shop provides a forum to sell their work. This allows them to earn money to purchase more supplies, save money for their release, pay child support, pay restitution, assist their families, pay for school, or even to give to charities.

The hobby shop supervisor, a DOC employee, oversees the online store and manages the PayPal accounts. The website comes at no cost to the department.

​The Blue Room at Snake River Correctional Institution (SRCI) has been named as one of TIME Magazine’s “25 Best Inventions of 2014,” an accomplishment of which the institution is very proud. This is due in large part to the desire of SRCI staff to see something meaningful come to life through their efforts.

The Blue Room is a groundbreaking nature imagery research project, developed through a partnership with the Utah Sustainability in Prisons Project. In 2013, SRCI began working with University of Utah Professor Nalini M. Nadkarni, who was exploring ways that nature positively impacts individuals and the effect it could have on those who are incarcerated. To incorporate Professor Nadkarni’s concepts with the prison’s needs, SRCI decided to place nature imagery, through video and audio, in one of the recreation areas of SRCI’s Intensive Management Unit (IMU). The Blue Room, as it is known, is a fairly simple combination of modern technology, correctional practices, crisis intervention, and behavior de-escalation.

As part of the Governor's tobacco-free state properties initiative, DOC became completely tobacco free on Jan. 1, 2015. This order applies to all employees, volunteers, and visitors.Tobacco Free Information